5 ms·

I'd rather have 200 miles and lighter/cheaper(? at least in terms of environmental costs) batteries.

TheAmazingIdiot 15y ago
In environmental costs, I'd much rather have FeNi chemistry fully explored. Nickel iron batteries can be abused by under and over charging, short circuiting heat, cold, vibration, and other effects and still last decades. Jay Leno has an antique car that still has a working FeNi battery. I think it needs topped off with distilled water every so often. The electrolyte is KOH so it even acts as a preservative. The only problem with the reaction is it's slow to charge and discharge.
- polshaw 15y ago
  Why is it that people have so many diverse opinions that aren't fully informed when it comes to energy?? It may have one benefit, but 30 seconds on wikipedia informs me that it requires 5 times the mass and 20 times the volume of lithium ion to give equal energy output. Which makes it a complete non starter for anything mobile.
  - TheAmazingIdiot 15y ago
    FeNi batteries are a wonderful storage medium for things like solar cell chargers in a house, or a wind turbine setup. I never said this is going to be the next watch battery tech. And also, the fact is that the first cars were electric: they used various chemistries. And as I said above, Leno has a still working car that uses a NiFe battery: Cheap materials, low maintenance, not heavy metal (and nontoxic to boot). In fact the original recipe indicated making potash, putting it in distilled water, and filtering out the physical chunks of ash.
MartinCron 15y ago
Just as with gasoline-powered vehicles, I would like to have the choice of many different options.
- Mvandenbergh 15y ago
  Well, for energy storage and conversion in gasoline powered cars you only have option. Gasoline stored in a tank and combusted in an Otto cycle engine. I don't think that people's driving behaviour is divergent enough to support multiple battery chemistries in the long run.
  - MartinCron 15y ago
    I was thinking I can choose between cars that have different capabilities (small or large, big tank or small, fast or slow) even if the core tech is the same.

In environmental costs, I'd much rather have FeNi chemistry fully explored. Nickel iron batteries can be abused by under and over charging, short circuiting heat, cold, vibration, and other effects and still last decades. Jay Leno has an antique car that still has a working FeNi battery. I think it needs topped off with distilled water every so often. The electrolyte is KOH so it even acts as a preservative. The only problem with the reaction is it's slow to charge and discharge.

polshaw 15y ago
Why is it that people have so many diverse opinions that aren't fully informed when it comes to energy?? It may have one benefit, but 30 seconds on wikipedia informs me that it requires 5 times the mass and 20 times the volume of lithium ion to give equal energy output. Which makes it a complete non starter for anything mobile.
- TheAmazingIdiot 15y ago
  FeNi batteries are a wonderful storage medium for things like solar cell chargers in a house, or a wind turbine setup. I never said this is going to be the next watch battery tech. And also, the fact is that the first cars were electric: they used various chemistries. And as I said above, Leno has a still working car that uses a NiFe battery: Cheap materials, low maintenance, not heavy metal (and nontoxic to boot). In fact the original recipe indicated making potash, putting it in distilled water, and filtering out the physical chunks of ash.

MartinCron 15y ago

Just as with gasoline-powered vehicles, I would like to have the choice of many different options.

Mvandenbergh 15y ago
Well, for energy storage and conversion in gasoline powered cars you only have option. Gasoline stored in a tank and combusted in an Otto cycle engine. I don't think that people's driving behaviour is divergent enough to support multiple battery chemistries in the long run.
- MartinCron 15y ago
  I was thinking I can choose between cars that have different capabilities (small or large, big tank or small, fast or slow) even if the core tech is the same.